Photo Illustration

Four people and one firefighter were injured in a house fire Wednesday on Tupper Street in Marietta while a fire in Reno claimed the lives of two pet cats.

Marietta Fire Department Chief C.W. Durham said there was a fire at 613 Tupper St. just after 7 a.m. Wednesday morning.

“We had a fire with entrapment,” he said. “We were able to get four people out of the structure and transport them to local hospitals.

“We then had one firefighter injured during the event.”

The occupants’ conditions were not available.

The injured firefighter ended up being treated and released, Durham said.

He did not have a lot of details about the cause of the fire, but said the Ohio State Fire Marshal Office is investigating which is part of the normal procedure they have in investigations. Durham referred all questions to the state fire marshal’s office.

“There was a well involved fire upon our arrival,” he said.

The Marietta Fire Department and the Marietta Police Department responded. The Reno Volunteer Fire Department, Devola VFD, Williamstown VFD and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department also responded.

A short time later, the Reno VFD had a call come in around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday for a structure fire at 27060 State Route 7, said Reno Chief John Bradford..

Crews were on the scene within three or four minutes after it was called in.

“The first units on the scene noticed the garage was fully engulfed,” Bradford said. “It was an attached garage and the fire breached into the house.”

The homeowner was able to get two animals out but two other animals, two cats, passed away as a result of their injuries, he said.

“There was extensive damage,” Bradford said.

The Ohio State Fire Marshal Office is investigating the cause.

“We are still waiting on his determination,” Bradford said.

The Williamstown VFD and the Marietta Fire Department assisted Reno with mutual aid with Bradford noting their earlier response to Tupper Street.

Crews, with the assistance of the Ohio State Patrol, the Washington County Sheriff’s Department and the Ohio Department of Transportation, had to close S.R. 7 for a period of time to stretch fire hoses across the highway to access a fire hydrant.

“It did impact local traffic a little bit for about an hour,” Bradford said. “We opened the road up just as soon as we had everything under control.”

Reno VFD responded with 12-15 firefighters and three pumper trucks. The Marietta Fire Department and the Williamstown VFD responded with equipment and manpower through mutual aid. The Washington Air Truck was utilized to keep firefighters’ air tanks filled.

No people were injured as a result of the fire.

A message left for the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s regarding both fires was not immediately returned Thursday.